about apw live

This is a project my sister and I have been discussing lately, and we've decided to collaborate and provide you guys with some covers of our favourite songs for your listening pleasure! It's also a great way for me to get my lyric translations out there, and great fun, so why not?

I love listening to covers because it's a way for me to relax; being an album reviewer, listening to songs becomes more than just listening to the melody and enjoying it. It's a continual analysing of each and every component of the song; the arrangement, the melody, the lyrics, the vocal technique, the concept and how it all fits together. With listening to covers for me I love that it's simple and brings everything back to basics, just enough to allow me a taste of the initial enjoyment that I got from that certain song, as well as allowing me to widen my horizons in terms of how the song can be altered to make it different, or maybe even better in some ways.

A big thank you goes out to my wonderful sister who's been collaborating with me on this project and encouraging its development from day one. She's an extremely talented guitarist both in mainstream and classical technique and I am honoured to collaborate with her on many, if not all of the APW live projects that we will be putting out on the Asian Pop Weekly youtube channel.

She's currently part of this reputable guitar ensemble; check it out if you're keen! : https://www.facebook.com/guitarstrophe

Also don't forget to like, share and subscribe if you like our first video and rendition of Kimberley Chen's <Ai Ni>(Love you): https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCmdH2pvg7tgcjveDUIKfSig

lyric videos

On our new Youtube page we'll also be uploading awesome lyric videos with our translations to make reading the translations that much easier for you guys. Don't forget to check out the origianl cover art for each of our works too! So far, feast your eyes and ears on Bai Ann's <What is it that let me meet you> and G.E.M's <Bubble> lyric videos!~

We really hope you enjoy this new addition to our score of projects; please support us by liking, sharing and subscribing to our channel!

After the long await, pint sized powerhouse Kimberley Chen has finally announced the release of her latest album with a short teaser of her very first single, <Good Girl赶快爱>. Her new album is announced to be released on the 24th of December , and is named <Kimbonomics>. Hoping to see some new works from producer Terry , and I've also heard that singer and friend Anthony Neely has also had some collaborations on Kimberley's new album !

Kimbo's single has now aired on HIT FM for the first time and actually features a rap done by JPM's xiao Jie, a great combination indeed!

Anthony Neely is one of the most outstanding artists that I know, mainly for the precision with which he makes his music. He gets a good idea , pinpoints exactly where he wants to go with each song and follows through 100% to get the best possible results. Many just see him as a pretty face , but beyond that pretty face is a person who really knows what he’s doing. Like a sniper, he focuses on his target , aims and with one shot, creates a tremendous impact on each of his listeners. His albums, each of them are ranked highly in my favourite albums list and he really does fulfil each and every target that he sets for himself. For his second album<Wake Up> , he expressed that he wished for listeners to be able to pick up something new about each song every time they listen to it, and wanted it to be a timeless album that could be listened to for years to come. And I have to say, I have listened to that album without ever tiring of it regularly since I got my hot little hands on it. And each and every time, I am in awe and so proud of what he has achieved , because that album is just the epitome of perfection for me. The emotional capabilities of this man’s voice are not to be underestimated , nor should his lyrical abilities. Although he has been in Taiwan for a few years, he has still been able to contribute self-penned lyrics as well as melodies to the album without any compromise at all in quality, which is amazing, considering the before and after picture of his language abilities. Each song has a perfect story behind it, arrangements that completely complement the lyrics , and of course his voice which could make your ‘feels’ meter go through the roof every single time without fail. Of course we have to leave some credit to the lyricists and producers whom he’s worked with, namely best friend Will Peng, Skot Suyama and 陈信廷 to name a few. But it is his ability of foresight and precision I feel that has made him so successful. If it was any other artist that tried to make their fans send in videos of themselves singing, I don’t think they would be able to pull it off with such conviction to the extent of receiving 800-900 entries. So if you haven’t listened to his music before, don’t be a tool and click over it on youtube, listen to it! Who knows, maybe you’ll find something special!

I have waited quite a while in anticipation of A-Fu's arrival back on the music scene , and she's definitely not one to make a quiet entrance. Despite her sweet demeanour and her soothing vocals , the singer-songwriter brings refreshing colour to the music scene with her collaborations with some of the biggest names in the music industry at the moment , and also with some much loved golden artists , such as Wu Bai in <wan mei qing ren>(perfect lover). I didn't know rock legend Wu bai had it in him to create lyrics and melodies so sweetly refreshing! Also check out her first single <Me n U> which is making it big-time on the KKBOX charts!

And in A-Fu's collaboration with red-hot producer skot suyama , he never fails to impress in her third single , <wu Xian du zi you>(unlimited freedom). For more of their collaborations , see <yue lai yue ai>(loving you more and more) also found in this album!

Once again, I'd also like to congratulate all the male artists who have been nominated for the 2013 golden melody awards; I've listened to every single one of the albums that they are nominated for and I have to say , they've had a pretty good run this year. However there still are a few who im adamant that should have been nominated for the awards this year. So here they are!

Nominee #1 : William Wei

Fans and the media were shocked that William Wei wasn't nominated for the awards after his long awaited comeback . The golden melody award winner for the best newcomer was assumed a shoo-in but just fell short. I felt that there were a lot of good stuff in that album and especially loved the use of guitar arrangement throughout the album and his voice in general. A little disappointed that he didn't get in after enjoying the album a lot , but there's always next year!

Nominee #2:Yen-J

I really enjoyed yen-j's third album ; and he's been really consistent if you ask me with all of his albums since his debut. His signature style of simplicity really came through and was totally captured throughout this entire album , and his innovative arranging , production and lyrical skills really brought everything together. I was shocked to find that he wasn't nominated as many of the songs from his album such as <temporary boyfriend> , <sneezing> and <no evidence> have become huge hits , scoring millions of views on YouTube and KKbox. The album really reflects on the purity of everyday life in such a touching and meaningful way , but also playful and refreshing at times that it is really hard for me to see why this album hasn't scored Yen-J a nomination. I believe that he deserves it just as much as all the other nominees and I hope that his newest album ＜好的情人> will face better results!

Nominee #3: Gary chaw

As a self professed Gary fan , I do have to be objective about this. But I really do believe that this was one of his best albums yet concept-wise. After not releasing a new mandarin album since 2010 , I would have expected a better reception to his album but disappointingly it wasnt really publicized that much. He only released two music videos for this album and I'm really really sad as I do think it was a really awesome album. After hearing his first single for the first time , I was over come with emotion ; his voice brings with it a kind of magic ; urging us to follow him and change the world. Each and every song is inspiring in its own way and the way that he created a really full image of what he saw as the <Hollywood zoo > ; with songs that reflected the darker side of stardom and others that provided a deep and meaningful reflection on life. I truly enjoyed this album and felt that he really put his heart and his soul into this album. It's a real shame he wasn't nominated but congratulAtioons for being nominated for the Asian pop weekly awards!

Nominee #4: Anthony Neely

This album was really the one that I enjoyed the most and was my absolute favourite of 2012 and one of my all-time favourites. When Anthony Neely said that his aim for this album was to create something that would last for years and for listeners to be able to find something new with every listen ; he succeeded 100% in this album. There isn't one song in this album I don't love ; and his concept is basically flawless. I love the idea of dreams and how it's been threaded throughout the entire album; he did a really good job on that. The lyrics are spot on for every single song and every song has me moved ; be it physically tapping my toes or nodding my head or emotionally moved in my heart. The album is a godsend for me and I am really really disappointed that this album wasn't nominated for the awards. Neely has been so consistent with his first two albums since his debut and I was shocked that even with the main control of the melodies and production going to golden award nominee skot suyama and talented producer zai zai that it wasn't nominated at all , not even for arrangements or production despite it being spot on in all areas . Well done to Neely though -I just hope that he knows that his hard work has paid off for his fans everywhere!